Love Song for a Profiler
by CarpeOmnius
Summary: Ever wonder how to seduce an FBI profiler? Don't we all.


Kind of funny how all my fics are inspired by music in some way.

**Disclaimer: **God, if only I owned Criminal Minds.

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If Spencer was not as extravagantly smart as he was, he would not have been able to scan the massive book collection that was in front of him while doing a questioning. As it was, it was rather difficult. The smell of aged paper and leather made his skin tingle. He spotted names like Kant, Dante and Milton all embossed in gold. Somewhere in between taking a methodical inventory he managed to ask, "Is this something you think Mr. Freeman capable of?"

The psychologist was silent, and Spencer finally looked up at him. The man looked more like a football player than a scholar, his sloping shoulders tightly fitted into a gray v-neck sweater blocked most of the early afternoon light coming in from the window. His hair was soft and dark and his eyes were the same color as the sweater. One of those great shoulders lifted slightly. "Perhaps."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "You were his doctor," he said. "Isn't it your job to know these things about your patients."

"James had moments of disturbance-"

"He had a history of violent and sexual offenses -"

"-and went through considerable abuse as a child," finished the man without much regard for Dr. Reid's interjection. Which didn't bother Reid so much as out of the corner of his eye he spotted an early edition Nietzsche. "But, as I'm sure you're aware, he hasn't had any run-ins with the law in over a year. He is…managing things."

"How so?" asked Reid, his face as close as he could get to the books' binding without aggravating his allergies. He didn't look back at the other man until he realized he hadn't spoken, and when he did it was to see a strange expression flit across the psychologist's face. A smile perhaps, a moment of curiosity. "Do you know of the song 'Love Song for Jeffrey Dahmer' ?"

"No," Spencer said, bemused.

"Its written and performed by a man named Dustin Saunders," he said, stepping forward away from his desk and towards Spencer. "Its very beautiful, though if you paid attention to the lyrics you might not think so." That look again, just for a moment. Like a scientist about to receive the results of a grand experiment. When he inhaled to breathe, Reid found himself preoccupied with the expanding of his already broad chest. "Dahmer was a man afraid of losing control of his lovers, yes? Afraid that they would leave them. So he killed them, consumed them."

"Yes," Spencer said, watching the man a little warily as he moved closer, suddenly regretting getting so engrossed in the man's library, as now he had no room to back away.

"Saunders wondered though, what would have happened if Dahmer had met someone who could instead control him. Someone who dominated him, the way Dahmer tried to dominate others. And he did it with love." He was standing less than a foot from Reid now. The last word purred through the air between them. "To reassure him that he would never leave. Do you think then, if Jeffrey Dahmer had met this man early enough in life, that he ever would've killed anyone?"

"Um, its possible," Spencer murmured, looking up at this man who was shaped like a beast but spoke like an intellectual, who was watching him so carefully. "Are you suggesting that James had this kind of person in his life?"

The man nodded, his expression easy and pleased but Spencer did not feel so reassured, and he knew that this man could see that. "Everyone's love is different," said the psychologist. "We all need different things, and for some of us it can be harder to find."

"Some of…us? Reid said, becoming aware of the hot feeling in his cheeks and throat that made it difficult to speak.

"Reid." Emily was in the doorway. "Hotch just called. We've got to go."

"Th-thank you for time, doctor," Spencer squeaked, ducking away from him, fully prepared to put Prentiss between them if it came to that.

"Anytime," said the psychologist. When Spencer looked back he saw that easy, confident smile, and it made his thick sweater feel itchy and warm.

Prentiss appraised him as they walked out. "You're blushing," she said.

"I'm what?" he said, still unable to bring his voice down an octave.

"Blushing," she repeated, grinning this time. "Was the hunky shrink flirting with you?"

"What?" he stammered still, his eyes in full-blown puppy-dog terror. "No! At least…I don't think he was."

Prentiss' smile broadened. "Must have been quite the line."

Spencer tried to swallow the warm knot lodged in his throat but it wouldn't go down. "A few, actually." His skin was still tingling, and now he was sure it wasn't because of the books.

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Thanks for reading, guys. I always respond to reviews so I'd love to hear from you. If you want to know more about "Love Song for Jeffrey Dahmer," I highly recommend this interview - trueslant . com /susannahbreslin/2010/04/19/a-love-song-for-jeffrey-dahmer/ - with Dustin Saunders by Susannah Breslin. It provided a lot of the inspiration for this little fic.


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